Street sweeper



June 12, 1928.

c. E. SARGENT STREET SWEEPER I N V EN TOR 62/291555 5174mm;

A TORNEY.

Patented June 12, 1928.

' UNITED: STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. SARGENT, OF ELGIN, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO ELGIN STREET SWEEPERCOMPANY, OF ELGrI'N, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.'

STREET SWEEIER.

Application filed March 9, 1925. Serial No. 14,058.

It is the object of my invention to produce a sweeper for removing dirtand refuse from streets. Wore specifically, my object is to produce asweeper embodying a novel means for elevating into a dust-bin the refuseswept from the street, which elevating means will be capable of handlingboth small particles and large objects.

I accomplish the above objects by mounting a rotating broom between therear wheels of a front-wheel drive sweeper, and I arrange an endlessbelt conveyor in position to receive the refuse swept up by such broomthis endless belt conveyor being in engagement for part of its lengthwith a second belt conveyor which carriesthe refuse to the dust-bin. Thesecond belt conveyor is yieldably mounted, so as to permit the passageof relatively large objects between the two belt conveyors.

The accompanying drawing illustrates my invention: Fig. lis a somewhatdiagrammatic side-elevation of my sweeper with parts of such sweeperremoved to show the arrangement of the broom and the belt conveyorsabove referred to; and Fig. 2 is a fragmental plan view of my sweeperwith the belt conveyors and their supporting parts removed to show themanner in which the broom is mounted and driven. Y

My sweeper consists of a frame supported on front wheels 11. and rearwheels 12. The frame 10 carries an engine 13 which is arranged to drivethe front wheels 11 through any suitable variable speed mechanism 14,gears 15, and shaft 16. The pres ent invention is not concerned with thedetails of this drive.

Each of the rear wheels 12 is separately supported from the frame 10,there being no axle extending between these wheels. The broom 17 isrotatably mounted between and normally substantially coaxial with therear wheels. The broom 17 is driven in a counterclockwise direction(Fig. 1) by a chain 18 extending from the sprocket on the broom to asprocket on a cross-shaft 19, which in turn is driven from the engine 13by any suitable means such as the chain 20. The broom 17 is maintainedat a. constant distance from the cross-shaft 19 by being rotatablymounted in the rear ends of two bars 22, the front ends of which arepivotally supported coaxial with the shaft 19.

By this method of mounting the broom, its weight tends to hold itsecurely in contact with the pavement, while it is still free to swingupward when it passes over irregularities in the surface being swept.

' A belt conveyor extends around a roller 26 located close to the groundand just ahead of .the broom 17; and from the roller 26, the conveyor 25extends forwardly and upwardly and part way around ,a drum 27, fromwhich it passes around a driving roller 28 and the idle roller 29 to theroller 26. The roller 28 is rigidly mounted on a transverse shaft 30,which shaft is driven from the engine 13 by a chain 31. If desired, theroller 26 may be yieldably supported as by being mounted in links 26which extend forwardly from the roller 26 and are pivotally supportedfrom the sweeper frame so that the roller 26 can swing upward to avoiddamage from any objects which may lie in its path.

, The drum 27 is rotatably supported in a floating frame the forward endof which is supported by links 36. Mounted on the frame 35 are twoguiding rollers 37 and 38 for a second belt conveyor 39 which passesaround the drum 27 between such drum and the belt conveyor 25 and isdriven by reason of itscontact with the conveyor 25. The upper stretchof the conveyor 39 extends rearwardly and upwardly from the upper partof the drum 27 to. the rear guiding roller 38 which is located over thedust-bin.

A tension spring 4-1 acts between the frame 10 and each of the links 36and serves to force the two conveyors 25 and39 together where such twoconveyors pass around the drum 27. The rear end of the floating frame 35can be supported in any convenient manner such as by means of guides4-2.

With the construction described, refuse swept up by the brush 17 fallsupon the conveyor 25 and is carried upwardly and forwardly around thedrum 27 and between the conveyor 25 and the conveyor 39. As the twoconveyors separate near the top of the drum 27, the conveyor 39'islowermost and hence receives the refuse and carries it over and acrossthe brush 17 to the dust-bin 40. Should any large objects be thrown ontothe conveyor 25 and be carried between it and the conveyor 39, the frame35 is forced upwardly and rearWardly and carries the drum 27 With it topermit such large objects to pass between the tWo conveyors.

I claim as my invention 1 In a street sweeper having a broom and adust-bin a belt conveyor arranged to receive refuse swept up by saidbroom, said conveyor extending obliquely upward and part way around arotating drum and leaving said drum near the top thereof, a secohd beltconveyor extending around said drum HI i and lying hetsveen said drumand said first conveyor and rtending' from said drum to a point abovesaid diist-bin at an angle to the horikkm tal s'llch that refusecarried. by it will not slide b'ac'kx'vard under the influence ofgravity. V i

2'. In a street stveepe'r havinga rotating bro m 'z'irrai'i'ged to sweeprefuse forwardly, a: dust-Bin ihounted in rear ott said br'oo'in,refuse-conveying Ineans arranged to receive refuse Wept up said broomand to coiivey s'iich refuse upwardly and across brooin to said dust-binsaid conveying nieans incliiding pair er teas arral'iged to pinch said Irefuse between them, and yielding l'neai'is deiiding to force said twobelts to iitllel" v 3. In a "street sweeper lia'vii'ig a brooniand adustbin, a. belt conveyor'arraiiged to receive retest swept up by saidhroorn, a seeone belt conveyor adapted to receive retiise from saidfirstconveyor, said coiiveyor's beingcoiitact with each other throng-heat aportion of theirresp'ective lengths and ineviii'g iii a generally upwarddirectio'n 1 they are in contact, and means ca'us said two conveyors tofollow a curved path thrhugh'oiit those portions of their lengths ihwhich they are in contact, whereby the tension in that 'onefof saidconveyors disposed o the outside of such curved path tends to to theconveyors together.

4. In a street sweeper having a brooin and a dust bin, means forelevating and convey ing refuse from said broom tosaid dust bin, saidmeans including a rotatable drum, a belt conveyor partially encirclingsaid drum, a second belt conveyor in contact With said first conveyorWhere it encircles said drum, said second conveyor having a straightstretch approaching said drum at an angle to the horizontal such thatrefuse thereon Will not slide b'acliward under the influence oftgravity, said first coi'iveyor having a straight str tch lemmsai'ddrun'i at an anglo to the horizontal siich that refuse thereon will notslide backward under-the influence of gravity, and y'iel'd gii'icaltii's acting on said driifn-i and t'oi'iding force brawn- 1 aga tthe tension in said second conveyor whereby the tension in said secondconveyor tends to maintain the c(')-n'v'eyors in ingiy supported traihe,a dr'un'i and one or stretch leaving said (Ii-uni at angles to thehorizontal such that refuse thereon will not slide backward under theinfluence of gravity;

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto my hand at Elgi'n, Illinois, this4th day of March, A. D. one th'o'u'sa i'ld nine hundred and twenty live.CHARLE$ E. SARG'ENT.

